At this stage of the art, personal computers with associated systems and software are common for comprehensive word processing and data manipulation, and for formatting data into a proper form for direct printout onto continuous printable webs. Webs of printing paper are conventionally available with fan-fold structure having sheets defined by a disconnect structure such as preformed scoring along lines perpendicular to the edges of the web. Such fan-folded paper may be manually separated into separate sheets, or stacked in fan-fold fashion without separation from the continuous web. The computers and associated printers are programmed for processing data obtained from computer stores, either temporary as in the case of word processors, or permanent data banks in the case of data retrieval systems. Such data is conventionally retrieved from storage, organized into formatted batches compatible with various printers for presentation in page length batches and synchronized for printout with the feeding of the sheets identified in the webs.
In the printing arts, there are various commercial lines of printers operating in different modes to accept computer formatted instructions for printout of stored data. Such may be characterized in various ways including, impact printers and non-contact radiation controlled printers for printing on sensitized paper or the like. The formatting for various printers depends upon the printing methods employed, which may include, wheel printers timing the appearance of a character into print position, typewriters which choose a character presenting mechanism, and various types of printers which lay down a great number of small dots or stripes in groups which when viewed together create characters, symbols, charts, etc. The state of the art conventionally operates a wide range of printers of these various types.
In addition to the standard or traditional dot matrix printers, and raster type laser printers, one printing system of particular advantage in the present invention is that of my U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,311 issued Apr. 20, 1976 for Electro-Optical Printing System. This is a high-speed type-quality printer employing a large number of radiation type emitters, such as light emitting diodes (LED's) arranged in a line extending across a movable continuous web of radiation sensitive material to lay down a large number of parallel stripes or bands to form characters. Printed material is formatted by a computer that programs the emitters to form the desired patterns on the web as it moves past the line of emitters. With this printing system there is no need to stop the web for printing, and thus high printing speeds are available.
While these data processing, formatting, and printing systems are well developed and versatile, they still present significant unsolved problems.
One major such unsolved problem is the high web cost, and inefficient use of the web, particularly in the case of special radiation sensitive webs.
Another major such unsolved problem is that of printing on both sides of the web.
A still further major such unsolved problem is that of efficiently handling and collating multi-page printouts such as reports and booklets wherein the pages are printed on both sides.
It is therefore a general objective of this invention to provide improved computer controlled printer systems and resolve the foregoing problems. Other features, advantages and objects of the invention will be found throughout the following description, claims and drawing.